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Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

Here is the story behind these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers: one of my daughters recently discovered that she had to temporarily adopt a gluten-free lifestyle due to some serious digestive and blood sugar issues. That can be quite challenging for some people to deal with. My work as a chef often touches on developing gluten-free recipes; however, concentrating on adapting familiar recipes that our family frequently made together became paramount to help our girl. She was getting tired of eating salads.

One of the first recipes she wanted to adapt was Dad’s famous hamburger into a vegetarian version that would provide the protein and vegetables she required yet still give her the same satisfying feeling of satiety that his burgers gave her. And so, our family came up with these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers.

I have to say that this is by far the best vegetarian burger I have ever had. They are a delicious and flavourful burger. I needed something that would hold the burgers together as a binding agent. Moistened gluten-free bread is always an option; however, why not step up the flavour component if you can?

In this gluten-free version of veggie burgers, I used rehydrated dried vegetable flakes. After rehydrating the vegetable flakes, I pureed them to make a paste and folded them into the vegetable burger mixture. As a flavour booster, it was amazing! So much so that we have used this technique in other gluten-free dishes. After trying them in the vegetarian version we now used them in regular hamburger mixture, meatloaf and meatball mixtures.

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

NOTE: Dried vegetable flakes can be found in your grocer’s bulk food section. They usually contain a mixture of carrots, onions, celery, leeks and garlic, and occasionally bell peppers, potatoes, and cabbage. They are useful for many recipes, such as soups, stews, and these veggie burgers.

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

CHEF TALK:The combination of beans in this recipe is a favourite of mine due to the firmness of the chickpeas and the creaminess of the white beans, making a great texture for the burger mixture. Try making them slider size for a light meal with salad greens. For small plate sharing, or for an appetizer, make them Toonie size. The veggie burgers are gluten free, grain free, sugar-free, nut-free and dairy free. Note: for egg-free veggie burgers (if you cannot tolerate eggs or do not want to use the egg), substitute for 3 tablespoons of aquafaba liquid.

Yield: Approximately 24 slider-sized burgers, or 10 to 12 large burger sized portion.

INGREDIENTS:

Dried Vegetable Flakes

½ cup

White beans (white kidney, Cannellini bean)

1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)

Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans)

1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)

Vegetable Oil

1 – 2 Tbsp.

Green pepper

1 medium, diced fine

Onion, cooking

1 medium, diced fine

Mushrooms

½ cup, chopped fine

Garlic cloves

6 cloves, peeled, mashed finely

Tomato paste

1 Tbsp.

Chili Powder

1 Tbsp.

Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon

Coriander

1 teaspoon

Garlic salt

1 Tbsp.

Sea salt, fine

To taste

Pepper, ground

To Taste

Eggs (optional, if required)

1

Hot sauce (Tabasco or similar)

1 teaspoon

Lemon juice

1 Tbsp.

Lemon zest

1 teaspoon

Parsley, flat leaf

1/3 cup, chopped

Optional: Gluten Free Panko Crumbs to coat the burgers

METHOD:

Rehydrate vegetable flakes in 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. The vegetable flakes will soften and absorb the water. Drain and mash or puree the vegetable flakes to a paste.

Mash the beans in a large bowl with a fork (or food processor) until thick and pasty. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, sauté the diced vegetables (pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic) in vegetable oil. (Alternatively, place all of the vegetables in a food processor and process until finely chopped).

Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until caramelized. Add the rehydrated vegetable paste.

Add seasonings and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.

Add this mixture to the mashed beans.

Combine together hot sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Stir into the bean-vegetable mixture. If required for binding purposes, you may use an egg, beaten, if desired to achieve the texture you want for shaping the burgers – not too moist or too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Using an ice cream scoop or another measuring tool, portion the mixture into large patties, or smaller slider burger portions, and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. I used gluten-free panko crumbs to coat the burgers. CHEF TIP:The burgers benefit from a quick chill of 30 minutes or so in the refrigerator. You can also make them ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to complete the recipe.

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Thank you, Nicoletta. Yes, we use dried vegetable flakes almost exclusively as a binder and bonus flavour boost for many of our recipes. Sometimes, what begins as an experiment becomes a constant in the kitchen, doesn’t it?

These sounds really, really good. I’ve yet to find the *perfect* veggie burger recipe. Most of the time they are too bean-y and dense. This one seems to have so much more going on than most, and I imagine they are SO flavorful! Definitely going to have to try this out 🙂

Thank you for your comments. I think you will enjoy trying this recipe, Dana. The veggie burgers really are so flavourful and freeze very well, too! Let me know if you try them 🙂 I have had to make this recipe for someone who could not tolerate eggs, so I substituted 3 tablespoons of aquafaba liquid. It worked very well.

Thank you, Nicole, for your kind words and comments. These Veggie Burgers are quite lovely – flavourful and tasty. I am very happy with the texture that using the two different beans provide. I hope you enjoy trying them. The recipe can easily be vegan by substituting aquafaba liquid (3 tablespoons) for the egg. Cheers!

Hi, Sadhna: Thanks so much for your comments. You can find dried vegetable flakes in the bulk area of most grocery stores. I use them all the time for so many reasons: a handful in soups to add flavour and texture; or as a binder as described in the veggie burgers. Once you start using them, you will also find many uses for them. Please write back and tag me if you try the veggie burgers. I would love to hear from you 🙂

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Meet Denise – The Urbnspice Chef

Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.Read More…